KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Investment Bank (EIB) will open a credit line of EUR200 million to finance investment in urban public transport to 20 municipalities in Ukraine.
According to a bank report on its website, the board made the corresponding decision on September 23 this year.
The EIB notes the project is aimed at increasing the frequency and regularity of public transport in the medium-sized cities of Ukraine. It is expected that the funds will also help reduce harmful emissions by switching to electric transport. This will have a positive effect on the local economy.
The total project cost is estimated at EUR 400 million.
As reported, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in October 2015 approved the issue of EUR 100 million to public transport enterprises in Odesa, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi and several other cities in the country under the guarantees of municipalities to improve public transport infrastructure focusing on renovating and improving its efficiency.
KYIV. Oct 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry and South Korea’s Posco Daewoo have signed a protocol of intent to implement a project to upgrade agricultural machinery in Ukraine for small and medium-sized farmers.
The ministry’s press service reported that the protocol was signed by Deputy Minister for European Integration Olha Trofimtseva and Posco Daewoo Corp. Senior Executive Vice President Kim Se-Hyun.
“With the signing of the protocol the sides agree to design a joint program on provision of small and medium-sized farmers in Ukraine with newest agricultural machinery. It will help to make an important contribution to the stabilization and consequent development of its agro-industrial complex,” Trofimtseva said.
Next step in cooperation is to be the creation of a joint working group to draft an action plan to start the implementation of the program.
KYIV. October 5 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Council of Europe plans to allocate EUR 45 million to support reforms in Ukraine, Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin has said.
“The Day of Ukrainian reforms in the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe’s action plan for Ukraine envisages 45 million [euro] to support Ukrainian reforms, which is the largest support package for a member state in the organization’s history,” he wrote on Twitter.
The foreign minister also said that Ukraine in the future will continue to work with the Council of Europe for the sake of reforms in the country and to strengthen rule of law and human rights in Europe.
KYIV. Oct 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Full transition to insurance medicine and the medical reform in Ukraine should take place within three years: a gradual transition to the application of the principles of health insurance is to begin in 2017, while the final model to be formed in 2020, the press service of Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Rozenko said.
“According to our program, the full transition to insurance medicine and medical reform should take place within three years in order not to shock either people or the doctors’ community,” the press service quoted Rozenko.
The deputy premier said that the health system is switching from the principle of financing of hospital beds to the principle of financing services provided to patients. The mechanism of “money follows the patient” is introduced.
“This process is complicated and painful. It is not fully accepted by the medical community as it is necessary to go through the competition, improve the quality of services,” Rozenko said.
In early September Deputy Health Minister Pavlo Kovtoniuk said the Ministry of Health plans to introduce a plan of implementation a national health insurance system in Ukraine in 2017. It involves changes in the legal framework, including laws, the adoption of the Cabinet decisions.
According to Ukrainian insurers – participants of the sixteenth International Financial Forum, which was held in Odesa on September 14-17, 2016, voluntary development and implementation of compulsory health insurance are in need of stimulation, in particular, by supporting bill No. 4981 “On Compulsory Social Health Insurance in Ukraine”, organizing its promotion and refinement in the relevant committees of the Verkhovna Rada.
Head of the Health Committee of the Verkhovna Rada Olha Bohomolets registered alternative bill No. 4981-2 in the Verkhovna Rada in early August. The bill provides for the introduction of compulsory state social health insurance in Ukraine from January 1, 2018.
KYIV. Oct 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia has successfully carried out first hydraulic fracturing operations using own equipment, the company’s press service has reported.
The press service said that after dry well stimulation its gas flow rate reached 48,000 cubic meters a day. It is expected that the well will be used optimally with the production rate of 74,000-90,000 cubic meters a day. After its connection the operation of the well will start.
Around 100 hydraulic fracturing operations were carried out in 2000s by the equipment the company now uses for hydraulic fracturing, but due to unskilled specialists and low quality of materials the efficiency coefficient then was around 30% instead of the 70% acceptable for industry.
The press service said that after three years of idle period of hydraulic fracturing equipment Ukrgazvydobuvannia repaired it and expanded with modern equipment. The company used modern materials and introduced advanced preparation methods. The company also involved the best team of foreign specialists in Eastern Europe.
“Successful first hydraulic fracturing operations open a new horizon to increase gas production by Ukrgazvydobuvannia. We use the most modern technologies, attract equipment and competence of global technological leaders such as Halliburton and Weatherford. This program would be successfully expanded with the involvement of servicing companies Belorusneft and Tacrom that offered the better price for stimulation operations. Our top priority is to boost hydrocarbon production. We are trying to do this as effectively as possible,” Production Director Yuriy Nahorniak said.
LVIV. Oct 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers plans to create the committee for restoring Ukrainian industry in October, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.
“In October we plan to create the committee for restoring Ukrainian industry. Ukrainian industry today is on the roadside and requires government support,” he said at a briefing in Lviv on Friday.
The prime minister said that the government intends to establish cooperation between enterprises that lost traditional markets and help in searching for new markets for their products.
“It is important that we not only sell grain in the amounts of millions of tonnes, but also sell products processed in Ukraine,” Groysman said.
He said that the Office for Accompanying Investment will be created at the next government meeting.
